Prairie Modules No. 1 & 2 (streetscape). Indianapolis, Indiana. Public Sculpture. Building materials and intentional landscape. 2008–2009.
The streetscape of Prairie Modules No. 1 and 2 by M12 was commissioned by the City of Indianapolis and stretches over one city block in downtown Indianapolis. A work that blends sculpture, landscape architecture, lighting and color patterning, this project activates over 100 yards and creates spatial and ecological awareness for those who come across the work. Inspired by tall and shortgrass prairie regions across the Great Plains, the M12 Prairie Modules asks the public to reconsider the relationship between city landscape and country landscape. The work intentionally created a green space in the city and for the Indianapolis Cultural Trail for which it was created. The color design concept for the Prairie Modules is based on the science of spatial time travel. As viewers pass through the space, the overhead light fields work in tandem to alter color identification creating an exciting transformative experience. One exits the modules with the world looking different. The simplified structures include truss-laiden cuboidal forms, prairie grass, solar panel arrays and LED units. It is interesting to note that this project was the first use of a reverse electric meter in the state of Indiana and was used as an example of how to use electricity, but also return it to the grid.
